SA lass in LA hustle

Georgia Neves: Scooped Special Jury Award for Best Short Film

- Hein Kaiser

It's a showbusiness takeover that's happening at a paced scale. A growing number of South Africans are making names for themselves, and for Mzansi's incredible wealth of talent, abroad.

What was initially a trickle with stars like Arnold Vosloo and Charlize Theron making it big, the legion of local talent making waves globally is gaining momentum. And somewhere between White River, Flappers Comedy Club and a fantasy theatre production in Los Angeles, 24-year-old Georgia Neves is making her own place in La La Land.

Neves is a writer, actor, stand-up comic and improviser based in Los Angeles. She trained at the New York Film Academy.

"The school is incredible. I was lucky to have had some amazing professors," she said.

"One of them used to say, 'Be bad. Do it the wrong way'. That advice stuck with me. It reminded me that I don't have to wait to get it perfect. I just had to start."

It was a phrase that gave her the courage to write, produce and star in her debut short film Searching for Grace.